BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — A wildfire in Boulder County that has forced thousands of evacuations has grown to 8,788 acres and is at 15% containment as of Sunday evening, the Boulder County Sheriff's Office (BCSO) said.
At least 26 structures have been damaged, BCSO said in a news conference Sunday night. The Calwood Fire is the largest in Boulder County history. BCSO said a cause has not yet been determined and that an investigation began Sunday.
Sunday's cool, humid weather helped with knocking down the fire, BCSO said, but dry weather and wind is a concern in the coming days.
BCSO said close to 3,000 people in about 1,600 homes were affected by evacuation orders, including the entire town of Jamestown.
BCSO said it's likely that more than the 26 homes identified have been lost to the fire, but crews have been unable to assess the full damage to get an exact figure.
Air resources were called in Sunday morning, according to BCSO, to attack the fire before the wind was expected to pick up.
Several road closures remained in effect. The full list of road closures is here. Some of the major road closures are:
- U.S. 36 between the north end of Boulder and Colorado 66.
- South St. Vrain (Colorado 7) between the west end of Lyons and the Peak-to-Peak (Colorado 72).
- Overland Road from Peak-to-Peak Highway (Colorado 72).
- Lefthand Canyon Drive west of U.S. 36.
Boulder Office of Emergency Management (OEM) said many residents checked in Saturday at the evacuation point at Broadway and Iris Avenue, but only four residents needed to be set up with shelter for the night. That evacuation point reopened at 9 a.m. Sunday.
Boulder OEM asked that no one show up to spontaneously volunteer or donate supplies at any areas, particularly at the evacuation point in Boulder, saying they need to maintain space and order at the location for the families who have evacuated.
The Colorado Department of Transportation urged travelers to avoid the area to allow emergency responders and evacuees to move as needed.
A call center has been established for non-emergency questions at 303-413-7730. It reopened at 8 a.m. Sunday. Anyone who sees flames in their immediate area should call 911.
Pets can be taken to the Boulder Valley Humane Society at 2323 55th Street in Boulder or the Longmont Humane Society at 9595 Nelson Road in Longmont.
Livestock including horses, cows, sheep, chickens and pigs can be sheltered at the Boulder County Fairgrounds at 9595 Nelson Road in Longmont. If it fills up, Boulder OEM said, people with animals may want to go to the Jefferson County Fairgrounds at 15200 W. 6th Ave. in Golden.
Due to the fire, the Jamestown Post Office has moved operations to the Nederland Post Office. The hours of operation are 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 8 a.m. to noon on Saturday.
Below is a map of the evacuation and pre-evacuation areas from the Boulder Office of Emergency Management.
Separate from the Calwood Fire is the Lefthand Canyon Fire, although the evacuation areas for the two fires butt up against each other. It has forced the town of Ward to evacuate.
Red Cross
If you are an evacuee or someone who has been impacted by the wildfires and needs assistance, call 1-800-417-0495.
To sign up to volunteer, email Joshua.Stewart@redcross.org.
RELATED: Extreme fire behavior expected over the weekend as Cameron Peak Fire grows to 187,537 acres
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Local stories from 9NEWS